THE NISEI RETURN

It was good last week to hear Art's voice. It was good to know that Art Koura and Momoichi Nakata were returned for a few days to the place they know as 'home,' even though it is a place they were forced to leave under a national policy which says people related, no matter how remotely, to ONE (and only one) of our enemies must be evacuated from the coast.

Art and "Pork Chops," as "American" a pair as ever trod the corridors of Bainbridge High School, were permitted to visit here because they wear the uniforms of the United States Army. Uncle Sam, who soon may ask them to die for him, couldn't very well tell them they couldn't come home on furlough.

Their visit was encouraging to The Review which still persists in a fight for the rights of all citizens. Their visit also reminded us that our Bainbridge nisei, gone these many months, still look to Bainbridge as "home."

Our editorial policy has become a bit cloudy on this subject because of our immediate desire to stand up for people like Art and "Pork Chops." We should like to say now that when we challenge asinine resolutions seeking to deport Japanese-Americans after this war is over, we do so not just for the Japanese Americans but in the name of the rights of all citizens, whether their skins be yellow, black, brown or white.

We are mindful of a news article a few weeks back which told how an organization of California CHINESE-Americans went on record asking fair play for loyal Americans of JAPANESE ancestory [ancestry]. Some people were surprised at that action. We were not. Giving the Chinese every credit for being fair minded, we still say their action was in self-preservation.

What assurances do Chinese, or Negroes, of Filipinos, or people named Smith, or people with blond hair, or left-handed people--or any group of American citizens you want to name--have that citizenship rights will be guaranteed them if we suddenly are to take away the citizenship rights of a group of Japanese-Americans?

Hearing from Art and "Pork Chops" reminded us to say once again: the Japanese in America should be treated just as though they were of German or Italian descent. The potential troublemakers should be screened and placed in concentration camps. The others should be taken from the taxpayers' burden in evacuation camps and put back into useful production . . . or into the armed forces.